Barring a crazy turnaround or some impressive convincing on management’s part, Chris Bosh will not be returning to Toronto next season. Now, the Raptors will have to replace their star player in what will be a critical off-season for the franchise’s future.
By: David Kay
’09-’10 Season in Review:
Last off-season, the Raptors made several major moves in hopes of not only improving their roster, but as a sign to Chris Bosh that the franchise was serious about surrounding him with winning talent so that he would not flee Toronto this off-season. They brought in Hedo Turkuglu and Jarrett Jack for long-term deals, used their lottery pick on the athletic DeMar DeRozan, and added several other new faces as well. However, the Raptors did not become the team management had hoped and are now likely to lose their star power forward in what will be a very critical couple of months.
The Raptors did improve by seven games this past season with their revamped roster, but a five game losing streak late in the season caused them to finish one game behind the Bulls for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Bosh is not to blame as he put together his best statistical season as a pro. It was the pieces around Bosh that failed.
Turkoglu was a shell of the player he was in Orlando and was even benched late in the season. Jack was productive in his first year with the Raps but it was the other point guard, Jose Calderon who struggled to acclimate himself to his new backcourt mates. Depth was also an area of concern as there was a major drop-off in talent when the second string was on the floor. Now Toronto faces a serious uphill challenge this summer and risks becoming one of the bottom feeders in the league if, as expected, they cannot convince Bosh to continue calling Canada home.
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